Looking to save on textbook costs? Many required texts are in the Libraries’ collections and you can borrow books for the entire semester. Start by searching the Libraries catalog by author, title, year, and edition to see if the book you need is available through the Penn Libraries! Find step-by-step instructions below, or head right to our catalog.
Instructors may also place some books or other course materials on course reserves, which may limit how they can be borrowed. Find out more about accessing course reserves.
More resources are available to students who participate in Penn First Plus or identify as first-generation students. Contact your student financial aid advisor or email the Penn First Plus office to learn about current textbook support programs.
Here are some of the ways the Libraries can help make getting your textbooks affordable. Need assistance? Ask your subject librarian, submit a question online, or contact Alexandrea Glenn.
The Libraries’ collections include nearly nine million print and electronic books. We might have one of the books that you need for your course! To find the book you need:
In addition to textbooks in our own collections, students can request textbooks from our partner libraries using interlibrary loan. Find out how.
Can't find a textbook in our collection? Submit a purchase request! Note that not all publishers make textbooks available for institutional purchase.